Don't Shoot the Messenger
by awordycontradiction
Summary: "I don't trust Scott, but I do trust you." She stated, her voice bold and unfaltering. Stiles found himself smiling.


Stiles' jeep left the comfort of the road and started on his scenic route through the vast tree littered woods. He groaned inwardly to himself while his body involuntarily thrashed around inside the confines of his jeep. He was in a foul mood at the moment, and having to endure a late afternoon in the Beacon Hills reserve was probably the last place he wanted to be, well, second to last, he remembered with a sigh. Ever since the night from hell in the station his dad had not let Stiles out of his sight. Roles were reversed, lies started to pile up, he hadn't even had a chance to talk to Scott about Mrs. McCall finding out what her son really was. Things had just gone to hell. Stiles licked his lips as he pulled up, thankfully not hitting a damn tree in the process, and hopped out of the jeep and onto the rough branch filled ground. He spotted his visitor instantly, she was pretty hard to miss. She had to have heard him coming, but she didn't look up from the small bird she had been gazing at. Stiles laughed.

"You're late." She mumbled, finally turning to him, her eyes amber.

Stiles nodded. "Sorry, Erica. I had to sneak out." He crossed his arms like a pouting child.

Erica smirked but said nothing, she could see it in his eyes he didn't want to talk about it.

"Peter is hiding out in the Hale place still. We are trying not to draw attention that we know."

Erica started. "Lydia's been there too."

She wouldn't look at him, didn't even want to mention it to the boy. He was so over his head, and he worried about others until it made him physically sick. She didn't want to add to it. Erica gauged his reaction, he tried to put on a front, his face screamed indifference but she could cheat too easily, his heart rate had sped up quickly with the mention of that strawberry blonde psychopath. Erica sighed and went back to staring at the small dark blue bird that hadn't left yet. It comforted her, not being alone with Stiles, it hadn't been the same. Not that it had ever been normal, but when Scott had promised to join the pack, Stiles in tow, things had been easier, dangerous as hell, nerve-racking and complicated, but she had felt like she was apart of something. Derek hadn't been as angry, even trusted the three inexperienced werwolves with information he never wanted to say, had faith and confidence in them. It made Erica feel stronger, but then Scott ruined it. Now Derek was even angrier, obsessed with figuring out the perfect way to kill Peter Hale, restore his life to the screwed up order that it was. It sucked. Erica knew, her and Boyd had spoke heavily about it, they needed Scott and they needed Stiles, it just wasn't the same anymore and she was going to continue to take it out on Stiles until things were fixed.

_What else could she do? _

"Lydia isn't in her right mind, you can't hurt her, she doesn't know what she's doing."

He sounded confident, but Erica saw right through it. It was his fear talking, his fear of losing the object of his affection, whether it was to death or to her own insanity. She was gone. He needed to get over it. As if reading her mind, Stiles glared at her and Erica rolled her eyes and held her hands up in a _'don't shoot the messenger' _sort of way. Stiles turned away from her, and Erica did the same. It was always coming down to Lydia, Erica decided. There were worse things happening, people dying, lines being drawn, trust broken and he was getting bent out of shape because of some girl.

"We're not going to hurt her." Erica spat, turning back around to face him quickly. It made Stiles blink.

"We just need to figure out a way to hurt Peter!" She growled.

Stiles stepped closer, but with one look in her eyes, he immediately retracted those steps.

Erica took a deep breath. "What do you know?"

Stiles swallowed and looked at the ground.

"Deaton says that it has to be Derek that kills Peter. He's vulnerable and taking him by surprise is probably the best idea. Uh-"

Stiles looked to the sky in thought. His brain was screaming at him, saying so many different things, things of importance, things that weren't so important. Lydia came to his mind a few times, he hated that she was part of this. Didn't they lie to her for her protection? And now she was the one that literally screwed them all. She practically wrote their death certificates. But he couldn't be mad at her. He just couldn't. School, lacrosse, his dad, everything that has happened lately was racing across his mind in bright pictures and short memories. He wanted it to stop, wished he could just calm down. Erica had to have heard his heart, it was louder and faster than that woodpecker in the distance that was pecking.

"Jackson, Jackson came back to school, -oh, you know that." Stiles mumbled sheepishly.

"He seems like himself though, so that might be a good sign." He nodded.

Erica frowned. He did seem like himself again. Same douche-y self.

"Matt's been missing. I think he left town or something."

Erica didn't, neither did Derek or the guys.

"Deaton thinks he's dead." Stiles looked down, saddened. Was he really having sympathy?

Erica grimaced. "So if he is dead, than it's over? Jackson is okay?"

"I really don't think so." Stiles sighed while leaning against a tree. Erica agreed.

"Do you think Scott knows? He's best friends with the hunters and all now."

Stiles ignored that quip. Erica needed to bring it up.

"We need them to work together, don't we?" Erica mumbled after some silence.

Stiles licked his lips. "Yeah, we do."

"Why would Scott do that?" She asked, completely baffled.

Stiles shook his head. Scott wouldn't even talk about it. Gerard had to have threatened somebody. Maybe it was Allison? He wasn't sure what made his friend become a double agent, but he knew that it had to be a good reason. Scott was a dumb ass but a loyal one. He had so much going on at home, he didn't even know Stiles was having these meetings with Erica, who was the only one willing to talk to Stiles, even if she was pissed about everything. He ignored the voice inside telling him it meant more than it did. Stiles just couldn't sit back and let Peter Hale take control of his town again. After his father being trapped in the station, after Matt hit him, it turned something in Stiles, like a switch, and he would do anything, be anything, swallow his pride just to make things safe for his dad. Safe for everyone. He even felt bad for Derek, he had come there to help them, in his misguided and hot tempered way and ended up being trapped and vulnerable just as the rest of them. He wanted to be able to make things right, and if Erica was willing, she could help.

"I need to talk to Scott, he needs to set things straight with Derek."

Erica shook her head, her long blonde hair turning with her. "He won't listen."

"He has to!" Stiles snapped.

"No, he doesn't!" Erica growled right back. "Scott messed up. How can you even trust him?"

"Same reason you still do." Stiles mumbled. Erica looked down.

Everything about this situation was wrong, and it didn't feel right. Scott was so dedicated, he had done a complete three-sixty, he joined the pack for a reason and Erica didn't believe that it had anything to do with Principal Argent. Sure he had been giving the guy information, and was being dishonest, but who wasn't? No one trusted each other, no one let down their guard. It was bound to be what broke them. Derek wouldn't listen, neither would Issac. Boyd understood but wasn't going against his alpha. Erica was barely trusting Derek these days, he was using his pride and his anger as a shield to blind him from the truth, and that truth was they all needed each other, to save themselves from something greater.

"I don't trust Scott." Erica clarified, standing right in front of Stiles now.

Stiles looked up at her. Why would she be here if she didn't?

"I don't trust Scott, but I do trust you." She stated, her voice bold and unfaltering.

Stiles found himself smiling, he wasn't surprised though.

"I know you don't trust me, but I'm here, and I want to help. I want everything to go back to the way it was. We all worked good together and got things done. I'm sick of living in fear. I'm sick of worrying that Scott's girlfriend is gonna come out of nowhere with a crossbow and kill me, or that the notorious Peter Hale is going to kill Derek and control me. I'm done being weak."

Erica walked closer. It was sexy, Stiles admitted, her being dominant. He didn't think she even meant to be that way. She just radiated confidence, and even though she was right, he didn't trust her, he found himself realized that he could be convinced. She was the voice of reason, they needed each other.

"And if no one else is ready to own up to that, then fine." She shrugged. "But I am, right now."

Stiles looked down at her, standing strong, her eyes blaring with adrenaline.

"Okay." He whispered. "Lets do this."


End file.
